Wood Adhesives Science and Technology

FS-FPL-4703

Our mission: Improve the utilization of wood through a combination of basic and applied research that seeks to ensure more efficient fabrication and performance of bonded wood products.

Our unit combines the talents of a variety of backgrounds to investigate bonding and bond durability of wood and wood-based composites. We have expertise in chemistry, adhesives science, and forest products science. Our interests range from basic wood adhesion theory to why some bonds in actual wood products show low durability. We strive to make better adhesives and bonded wood products. We interact with corporations, universities, standards organizations, certification agencies, other governmental departments and agencies, small businesses, and individuals with questions. There has been work on wood adhesion at the Forest Products Laboratory since its founding in 1910. Our unit has worked on the U.S.S. Constitution and on components used in missiles. With greater efforts to make better use of the wood that is cut, and thus conserve public forests for a wide variety of uses by an increasing population, bonding pieces of wood together is of continuing and increasing importance.